Pursuant to authorization granted by the General Assembly under Public Act 100-0023, the State of Illinois issued $6 billion in General Obligation bonds in October 2017 for the purpose of paying vouchers incurred by the state prior to July 1, 2017. The law created the Income Tax Bond Fund, in which bond proceeds were deposited prior to disbursement. The tracking of the state's bill backlog beginning with the first payments made with bond fund proceeds and resulting federal reimbursements is the Backlog Voucher Report (BVR).

State law required the bond proceeds to pay only vouchers incurred by the state prior to July 1, 2017. Proceeds were directed primarily to unpaid state health insurance claims and unpaid medical bills, which generated additional dollars through federal reimbursements to pay down even more unpaid bills and lower the backlog further. Below you can see the amount of fiscal year 2017 and fiscal year 2018 medical bills (about $5 billion) and unpaid state health insurance claims at the Office of the Comptroller prior to the release of bond proceeds, and how the Office of the Comptroller used bond proceeds to cut the backlog of these bills.

How Your Money is Being Spent

2017 Bill Backlog Bond Proceeds Summary

On the morning of November 8, 2017, worsened by an impasse that left the state without a complete budget for two years, Illinois’ unpaid bill backlog stood at a record $16.7 billion.

The same morning, the state received nearly $6.5 billion in proceeds from an October issuance of General Obligation bonds to pay down a significant portion of the backlog.

The Office of the Comptroller worked aggressively to pay bills resulting in federal reimbursements, and bills related to employee insurance – many of which had been unpaid for two years. In just three weeks, the Office of the Comptroller cut the state’s unpaid bill backlog almost in half.

Office of the Comptroller’s Backlog Reduction Action

November 8, 2017 to November 27, 2017

More than $4.6 billion in medical bills paid

More than $4 billion in bills related to employee insurance paid

More than $2.2 billion in federal reimbursements received for the payment of medical bills

Nearly 73,000 vouchers for payment released

Fiscal impact of nearly $6.5 billion in bond proceeds: $8.8 billion in bills paid in only three weeks